Moran Urges Northern Va. To Sue Pentagon Over BRAC

By: David Schultz
April 21, 2011

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David Schultz

Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) says ideally he'd like the Mark Center project in Northern Virginia delayed for three years.

The BRAC process is set to move thousands of DOD employees from Crystal City to Fort Belvoir and the Mark Center in Fairfax County. The IG report released Wednesday analyzes the Defense Department's environmental analysis of the BRAC moves.

Standing outside the Mark Center Thursday, Moran says the report shows that the DOD was wrong when it chose to move its employees to the Mark Center, a suburban office complex off 395 with no access to public transit.

"I'm completely opposed to this site," he says. "It never should've been built."

Moran wants Fairfax County and other jurisdictions to use the report to sue the Department of Defense for an injunction in federal court. Under federal mandate all employees must be moved by September of this year. Moran wants the courts to delay that at least until the courts can get a better handle on how it will impact local traffic.

In the past, Moran has pushed for action in Congress to delay the Mark Center move until more transportation infrastructure can be added. Now, he's worried it's too late for that, which is why he's pushing the lawsuit as a last resort, he says.

"I don't think we can get a resolution through Congress in time," Moran says. "It would be the right thing to do, but it can't be achieved in a timely fashion."

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